I tried meals prepared by the world's largest provider of airplane food, and here's why I'll never look at inflight meals the same way — but for good reasons

Taylor RainsMar 19, 2022, 19:20 IST

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

Swiss catering company Gate Gourmet is the largest provider of airplane food with over 200 kitchens worldwide.
The company follows strict hygiene and preparation procedures to keep the dishes fresh, healthy, and tasty.

If you're an avid traveler like me, you've probably been on a long-haul flight where an inflight meal was served, whether in economy, premium economy, business, or first class.

Business class food on German carrier Condor.Taylor Rains/Insider

If you're an avid traveler like me, you've probably been on a long-haul flight where an inflight meal was served, whether in economy, premium economy, business, or first class.

While many people refuse to eat airplane food, I actually enjoy the meals and find them tasty, even at 35,000 feet.

Premium economy food on Paris-based French Bee.Taylor Rains/Insider

When I was younger, I always wondered where the food came from and if it was prepackaged meals like you see in the frozen section of the grocery store.

Frozen food section at a grocery store.TY Lim/Shutterstock

However, I recently learned that most dishes are made from scratch within 24 hours of landing on passenger tray tables.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.

A lot of the food is made by Swiss catering company Gate Gourmet, which has kitchens at over 200 airports worldwide and provides hundreds of millions of meals per year.

Sundry Photography/Shutterstock

The company's North American headquarters is in Washington, DC with a huge operation out of Dulles International Airport, providing meals for carriers like United Airlines, British Airways, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

The company's North American headquarters is in Washington, DC with a huge operation out of Dulles International Airport, providing meals for carriers like United Airlines, British Airways, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Gate Gourmet recently took media on a tour of its gigantic Dulles kitchen, and I was impressed by the detailed process that goes into keeping the food fresh, tasty, and healthy.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

Gate Gourmet recently took media on a tour of its gigantic Dulles kitchen, and I was impressed by the detailed process that goes into keeping the food fresh, tasty, and healthy.

Before even entering the kitchen, all workers and visitors must put on white coats, a mask, and a hair net. Moreover, everyone has to wash their hands and shoes using a machine with special cleaner. Hygiene is extremely important in the operation.

A worker uses a sanitation station.Taylor Rains/Insider

Before even entering the kitchen, all workers and visitors must put on white coats, a mask, and a hair net. Moreover, everyone has to wash their hands and shoes using a machine with special cleaner. Hygiene is extremely important in the operation.

Gate Gourmet's menus are created by master chefs in partnership with airlines, with many rotating on a seasonal basis.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

The Dulles kitchen alone chops 500 pounds of potatoes, 400 pounds of carrots, and up to 1,000 pounds of chicken per day.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

When the food is prepared in the kitchens, professional cooks follow strict recipes and storing procedures before sending the meals out to the planes.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

For example, when hot food is cooked, chefs have two hours to get the food below 70 degrees, and another four to get it below 41 degrees. They use blast chillers to help the process.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

For example, when hot food is cooked, chefs have two hours to get the food below 70 degrees, and another four to get it below 41 degrees. They use blast chillers to help the process.

Any food that doesn't cool down enough is thrown out, though Gate Gourmet executive chef Basil Rafreedie said "not much" food is discarded.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

While chefs prepare entrees, Gate Gourmet also employs dozens of other workers who are responsible for preparing snacks, light meals, and side dishes, like fruit ...

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

... sandwiches ...

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

… and cheese.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

When the meals are all built, meaning each dish and glassware is fully ready to be loaded onto the aircraft, they are stored in the "stage and holding room."

Stage and holding room.Taylor Rains/Insider

The space is chilled, keeping the meals at a safe temperature.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

When the food is ready to leave, specially designed trucks transfer them to the plane.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

As part of the tour, we were given the opportunity to speak with Molly Brandt, Gate Gourmet's executive chef for culinary innovation in North America, to learn how she develops the meals.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

As part of the tour, we were given the opportunity to speak with Molly Brandt, Gate Gourmet's executive chef for culinary innovation in North America, to learn how she develops the meals.

"Gate Group made an active decision to invest moving the needle in airline catering, so my role does not interact with the operation, it is strictly for development purposes," she said.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

"Gate Group made an active decision to invest moving the needle in airline catering, so my role does not interact with the operation, it is strictly for development purposes," she said.

Simply stated, Brandt is responsible for creating innovative and unique menu items to present to carriers. From there, the meals can be tailored based on budget, brand, and specific wants for each airline.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

Simply stated, Brandt is responsible for creating innovative and unique menu items to present to carriers. From there, the meals can be tailored based on budget, brand, and specific wants for each airline.

Brandt told Insider that if she creates a dish that may be out of budget for a customer, she can tweak it, like removing the meat or using cheaper vegetables.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

We also got to try some premium class food as part of the demonstration.

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

Brandt and Rafreedie prepared a large spread for us to enjoy, including vegetarian butternut squash custard with sunflower shoots …

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

… beet tartar with koji vinaigrette …

Taylor Rains/Insider

… pimento cheese dip with kimchi, crab, and baby vegetables …

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

… vegan cashew curry soup with coconut …

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

… and a vegetarian meatball made with Impossible meat.

Trying Gate Gourmet dishes.Taylor Rains/Insider

According to Brandt, travelers lose 33% of their ability to taste at high altitudes, so she uses flavor-enhancing ingredients in her meals, like Yukari salt and savory umami.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

According to Brandt, travelers lose 33% of their ability to taste at high altitudes, so she uses flavor-enhancing ingredients in her meals, like Yukari salt and savory umami.

I was beyond impressed with the taste of each dish, particularly the beet tartar, which is surprising because I normally don't like beets.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The vibrant colors of the food was also very inviting. Every ingredient was perfectly placed on the dish and the flavors meshed deliciously.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After the tasting, I will never look at airplane food the same again, but for good reasons.

Inside Gate Gourmet's Washington Dulles kitchen.Taylor Rains/Insider

While I previously thought these meals were put together in a warehouse and shipped long distance to the plane, they are actually made from scratch at the airport.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Seeing the cleaning and hygiene standards, combined with the experience of the chefs cooking the meals, make me look forward to trying the airplane food on my next flight.

There are employees specifically tasked with washing produce.Taylor Rains/Insider

Seeing the cleaning and hygiene standards, combined with the experience of the chefs cooking the meals, make me look forward to trying the airplane food on my next flight.

Some people are so eager to eat airline meals that they actually buy them from stores and restaurants.

Thai basil chicken with rice is on the menu.AirAsia

In 2020, Finnair started selling business-class inspired meals in a grocery store in Vantaa, Finland. The food sold from €5,90 ($6.90) for starters to €12,90 ($15) for entrees at the time of launch.

Finnair

In 2020, Finnair started selling business-class inspired meals in a grocery store in Vantaa, Finland. The food sold from €5,90 ($6.90) for starters to €12,90 ($15) for entrees at the time of launch.

According to Marika Nieminen, the carrier's vice president of Finnair Kitchen, 100 meals were bought within a couple hours of going on sale.

SariMe/Shutterstock

Meanwhile, in 2019, Malaysia-based AirAsia opened a fast-food restaurant in Kuala Lumpur called Santan that only serves airline meals.

Inside a Santan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.AirAsia

Since then, Santan has "thrived," according to the carrier, with over 15 eateries in Malaysia. It plans to expand to over 100 worldwide by this year.

Nasi Pandang and Beef Randang.AirAsia

I tried Ina Garten's shepherd's pie recipe for St. Patrick's Day, and it was easy and delicious

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I tried meals prepared by the world's largest provider of airplane food, and here's why I'll never look at inflight meals the same way &mdash; but for good reasons

If you're an avid traveler like me, you've probably been on a long-haul flight where an inflight meal was served, whether in economy, premium economy, business, or first class.

While many people refuse to eat airplane food, I actually enjoy the meals and find them tasty, even at 35,000 feet.

When I was younger, I always wondered where the food came from and if it was prepackaged meals like you see in the frozen section of the grocery store.

However, I recently learned that most dishes are made from scratch within 24 hours of landing on passenger tray tables.

A lot of the food is made by Swiss catering company Gate Gourmet, which has kitchens at over 200 airports worldwide and provides hundreds of millions of meals per year.

The company's North American headquarters is in Washington, DC with a huge operation out of Dulles International Airport, providing meals for carriers like United Airlines, British Airways, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Gate Gourmet recently took media on a tour of its gigantic Dulles kitchen, and I was impressed by the detailed process that goes into keeping the food fresh, tasty, and healthy.

Before even entering the kitchen, all workers and visitors must put on white coats, a mask, and a hair net. Moreover, everyone has to wash their hands and shoes using a machine with special cleaner. Hygiene is extremely important in the operation.

Gate Gourmet's menus are created by master chefs in partnership with airlines, with many rotating on a seasonal basis.

The Dulles kitchen alone chops 500 pounds of potatoes, 400 pounds of carrots, and up to 1,000 pounds of chicken per day.

When the food is prepared in the kitchens, professional cooks follow strict recipes and storing procedures before sending the meals out to the planes.

For example, when hot food is cooked, chefs have two hours to get the food below 70 degrees, and another four to get it below 41 degrees. They use blast chillers to help the process.

Any food that doesn't cool down enough is thrown out, though Gate Gourmet executive chef Basil Rafreedie said "not much" food is discarded.

While chefs prepare entrees, Gate Gourmet also employs dozens of other workers who are responsible for preparing snacks, light meals, and side dishes, like fruit ...

... sandwiches ...

… and cheese.

When the meals are all built, meaning each dish and glassware is fully ready to be loaded onto the aircraft, they are stored in the "stage and holding room."

The space is chilled, keeping the meals at a safe temperature.

When the food is ready to leave, specially designed trucks transfer them to the plane.

As part of the tour, we were given the opportunity to speak with Molly Brandt, Gate Gourmet's executive chef for culinary innovation in North America, to learn how she develops the meals.

"Gate Group made an active decision to invest moving the needle in airline catering, so my role does not interact with the operation, it is strictly for development purposes," she said.

Simply stated, Brandt is responsible for creating innovative and unique menu items to present to carriers. From there, the meals can be tailored based on budget, brand, and specific wants for each airline.

Brandt told Insider that if she creates a dish that may be out of budget for a customer, she can tweak it, like removing the meat or using cheaper vegetables.

We also got to try some premium class food as part of the demonstration.

Brandt and Rafreedie prepared a large spread for us to enjoy, including vegetarian butternut squash custard with sunflower shoots …

… beet tartar with koji vinaigrette …

… pimento cheese dip with kimchi, crab, and baby vegetables …

… vegan cashew curry soup with coconut …

… and a vegetarian meatball made with Impossible meat.

According to Brandt, travelers lose 33% of their ability to taste at high altitudes, so she uses flavor-enhancing ingredients in her meals, like Yukari salt and savory umami.

I was beyond impressed with the taste of each dish, particularly the beet tartar, which is surprising because I normally don't like beets.

The vibrant colors of the food was also very inviting. Every ingredient was perfectly placed on the dish and the flavors meshed deliciously.

After the tasting, I will never look at airplane food the same again, but for good reasons.

While I previously thought these meals were put together in a warehouse and shipped long distance to the plane, they are actually made from scratch at the airport.

Seeing the cleaning and hygiene standards, combined with the experience of the chefs cooking the meals, make me look forward to trying the airplane food on my next flight.

Some people are so eager to eat airline meals that they actually buy them from stores and restaurants.

In 2020, Finnair started selling business-class inspired meals in a grocery store in Vantaa, Finland. The food sold from €5,90 ($6.90) for starters to €12,90 ($15) for entrees at the time of launch.

According to Marika Nieminen, the carrier's vice president of Finnair Kitchen, 100 meals were bought within a couple hours of going on sale.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Malaysia-based AirAsia opened a fast-food restaurant in Kuala Lumpur called Santan that only serves airline meals.

Since then, Santan has "thrived," according to the carrier, with over 15 eateries in Malaysia. It plans to expand to over 100 worldwide by this year.

I tried meals prepared by the world's largest provider of airplane food, and here's why I'll never look at inflight meals the same way — but for good reasons